After the Battle
by settoheart
Summary: (Post Friend Ship episode) Peridot has a plan. And she needs the Crystal Gems on her side. She needs to get off this planet. But that also means that she needs Lapis. Not a one shot. More on the descriptive side with a slow build up. For those who like a lot of detail. Nothing but Lapidot in here.
1. Chapter 1- Malachite

In the light of early morning, the giant ship really did look like a sleeping organism. Its four hinged legs dug firmly into the ground while the front of the ship appeared to kneel towards the sun, creating a looming shadow down behind it. Its gray, disc shape was windowless, with no openings aside from a jagged hole in the center; the holes' origin was clearly unnatural as it seemed to have been caused by a sudden force applied from the inside. Surrounded by others like it, the vessel remained frozen, and has probably been frozen for over a million years, never changing its position despite the elements and despite times' destructive grip. While a far cry from the current transportation system used by homeworld gems, the space vessels still had a grand presence in the jungle, like that of graveyard statues. They stood as a reminder of the long evolutionary history that the gems had with earth, and how long it really has been since the last time earth was the central focus of homeworld domination.

The area was usually quiet, but today there was an abundance of noise that echoed throughout the dark jungle, most notably inside the skeletons of the ancient ships. Heavy metal footsteps resonated along the circular halls of the vessel, though the sounds were uncoordinated. There was a buzzing noise coming from the control panel at the center of the metal vehicle, with occasional beeps and tinks indicating that the machine was alive, or at least looked like it was. The source of the racket was not so much the machine, but the person inside. She rummaged about the control panel's boards, clicking random buttons and removing different colored wires erratically; her green, disjointed fingers picking through the rusted metal and vines to salvage whatever spare parts she could find. Her irritated, nasally voice spouted all sorts of insults that were aimed at no one in particular, but the gem didn't seem to care if anyone heard her at all. Frowning exponentially at the mess that was the circuit board, she growled at the moss-covered machinery, then slammed her fist onto the humming panel, which released sparks in protest.

" Stupid crystal gems! Messing with my machines, getting in the way, now taking my foot too! Gah! "Why do they keep messing with my things!?"

She slammed both of her hands multiple times before finally resting them flatly on the gray board, tapping her floating digits against the hard surface so that the only thing she could hear is the drumming sound of her fingertips. The green colored gem glared at the board with mounting frustration, as the memories of those impudent beings was enough to make her grit her teeth and blood boil. With her anguished cry getting no response, she sighed heavily, then turned around and leaned her back up against the panel before crossing her footless leg onto her thigh and getting back to work.

The crystal gems have once again foiled her plans at destroying them, this time with the prehistoric ship being unwilling to cooperate. Almost captured, the green gem was only able to fly to safety because she gave up her foot, and while she could release her physical form and get a new one with all limbs in tact, it was incredibly risky to retreat into her gem when she was stuck on an unfamiliar planet with four enemies after her. The best thing she could do for now is simply use the ships wires and cords to create a makeshift foot until she is safe enough to regenerate. It didn't take her long to finish, and once she screwed in the last part she gently put the new foot on the ground and shifted her weight to the part to see how it will hold up. It didn't match in color with the rest of the gem's body, a dull gray that looked out of place along her green and yellow clothing; she used plating from the ship to cover the entanglement of wires that connected to the ankle, but the cords were still somewhat exposed at the joints. Once she saw that it held up well, with no unevenness and had general stability, she sat back down on the control panel and thought of what to do next.

She had already sent out an S.O.S to Yellow Diamond, but it has already been over a week since then and still no sign of a rescue ship. It could be that the signal never reached homeworld- being that homeworld hasn't communicated with earth until quite recently; if that's the case, then the gem needs to find another way to get off this planet. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand and stared blankly at the wall as she continued to formulate some plan of action; her fingers from her other hand continued to drum against the panel.

" Those clods...ill get them back for this. Yellow Diamond will be so impressed when I capture all four of those pests and present them to her. Jasper won't even know what to do once she sees that she has failed a simple mission. I cant wait to see how devastated and petrified she will look."

The thoughts were tossed over in the green gem's mind, her frown turned into a wicked grin at the thought of her escort- so aggressive and so careless- looking up to the respected leader of homeworld with fright. She created so much trouble on the ship, always bossing her around, toying with her things, and then giving her orders against what Yellow Diamond had planned previously, oh how she wanted to see that gem on her knees, begging for forgiveness and admitting her guilt in front of the one and only, Peridot. But for now, she had to actually catch the gems first.

"Not that it would be too difficult; after all, im way smarter than those four lumpy clumpy clods." She cackled as she imagined their mortified faces. " They are as dull as dirt." Her elbows against her knees, folding her fingers into each other as she attempted to figure out just how exactly she was going to do that.

" I cant take them out as a group, I need to take them out individually. They won't have as many defenses that way- but I need my pod and robonoids back."

The voice trailed off, her rigid body finally moving from her sitting position and beginning to walk to the entrance of the homeworld ship. She knew the crystal gems had her weapons- she knew it was them when she returned to the corn field where she crash landed to find her escape pod missing. She needed them back, and she couldn't use the warp pads since the group was now tracking her that way; she realized that too. It was obvious after she put some thought to it, how else would they have known her every movement? She can't afford to play into their hands.

Despite wearing her visors, the gem's eyes squinted in the presence of the sun's light as she exited the vessel, and now stood to look at the trees surrounding her and the giant machines. It disgusted her, the fact that the ground was wet and unsteady, the sun was unrelenting, "only truly primitive species would like this overgrowth of...botany" She huffed, clearly vexed by the commonality of it. Its not that Peridot hated organic life, she simply found it unnecessary, just as how she found eating and sleeping unnecessary. Technology could be useful and reorganized to fit whatever you need; plants and animals were a waste of space that were neither useful nor easy to organize.

The sulking green alien wandered around the woods, looking at the tinted foliage that mimicked the color of her uniform. While she had no idea where she was going, she knew better than to stick around an area that her adversaries have already infiltrated. She really was quite defenseless, and she knew it. Peridot was a native of the technologically advanced homeworld; she never had to deal with true, hand to hand combat when all she had to do was vaporize her enemies with her ship. Though the manic gem is lucky that she does have a few defenses, it would still be incredibly difficult to use the new weapons with what little experience she has against the crystal gems, since they seemed to have had a large amount of experience in battles from long past.

"But..." the gem looked thoughtfully towards the brush ahead before stopping in her tracks." If I could befriend them...i might be able to catch them off guard." She placed her finger to her mouth and tapped the corner of her lip, further examining the idea. That wasn't a bad idea after all. If successful, she could gain temporary protection from the elements, her pod and robonoids would be back in her possession, and they would be easy to capture. And most importantly...she could build a ship that can take her home if rescue never comes.

While Peridot disliked the idea of having to conduct herself with the gems, its becoming apparent that she doesn't know how much longer she can handle staying on this miserable planet without falling into despair. She raised her hands to her visors as she felt her eyes water at the prospect that she might never go home. Can she really stay on this planet, with all of its simplistic life forms and dangerous rogues? Live out her existence with no purpose other than to watch time go by?

"Of course not! Yellow Diamond needs me! I need her!" The gem retorted, her voice leaving a shrill sound in the trees. She fumbled with her visors and wiped away the excess water on her eyes with her arm before placing the transparent screen back on her face. Peridot wanted to go home, and that means that she will do whatever it takes to get there. She won't die here, not on this hunk of rock.

" But how will I convince them?" a mumble arose from her trembling lips. "How will I get them to trust me?"

She pondered the question continuously, but it it may be easier than she thought.

"The Steven seems like a good start. That little imp seems easy enough to convince...hmm that seems reasonable, he never made a direct attack on me, and he seems friendly enough..." Although the little gem was also the one who made a big ruckus on the ship, and led to the situation that Peridot is now facing.

She walked around clumsily until she picked up an uncharacteristic gritting noise against her boots-the smell of salt assaulting her nostrils all at once. The trees had seemingly moved aside to reveal an ocean, with white sand that disappeared under the water towards the outcroppings that stood near shore; it was an endless view of bright blue water. Peridot never recalled a beach being near this site, but then again, it wasn't that important either. It looked peaceful, but somehow she felt an unpleasant knot in her stomach; despite the beautiful view, there was something wrong here. It might have been because she felt exposed, but she also noticed the waves were behaving strangely; they were coming out of seemingly nowhere. To her left, Peridot saw that the waves were small and relatively slow as they hit shore, but on the other side, they were consistently rough as they bashed against the large outcrop. Huge bubbles burst far out in the surf, forming a circular ring shape where the waves were being created from. The turmoil in the waves, and the slight shaking of the earth made her feel more vulnerable then she had wanted to be. The gem removed her visor to get a better look at the water, and could feel her shoulders stiffen and arms tighten as they hugged close to her body, while her legs remained unwilling to move from their slightly bent position.

She didn't know what is was, and yet already her body was preparing to flee as her hands turned into small fists and she leaned towards the forest, preparing to make a run for it. It didn't look like the crystal gems, it didn't look like anyone she had seen before. The gargantuan dark shape swung at the water in the ring of bubbles, but it was still to dark to see clearly. She felt the nervous feeling go from her stomach to the back of her spine, and crawled up until it reached her neck where she felt it tighten around her chest. There was a buzz in her limbs and her pulse raced as she felt herself unable to look away at the form with her wide, terror stricken eyes. She trembled when it dawned on her that this was a monster.

But what she didn't know,

was that is was Malachite.


	2. Chapter 2- Treacherous Battle

Everything about the situation told Peridot to run, but for some reason, her limbs refused to acknowledge her mental request. Her small hands were trembling, but nothing made her move despite seeing the ominous shape in the waves. The figure in the whirlpool of water roared loudly enough to momentarily shake the ground; that had finally been enough to shake Peridot out of her stance and onto the ground, laying on her stomach. She stood up on her knees and her floating fingers gripped the sand tightly as she watched in frozen terror at the scene unfolding before her.

The liquid lapped around her sides and before Peridot realized the water was practically touching the trees behind her, she was already sucked in by the waves. The force pulling her towards the deep was to strong to resist, so she activated the weighted system in her boots- well the one good boot- and managed to sink herself to the floor. Sand enveloped around her foot, but luckily she didn't sink. It was a lucky thing also that gems didn't need air to breath, or else she would have found herself in a terrible situation.

"But then again, its not as though im not in a terrible situation as of this moment." Her inner voice offered, but it brought her senses back to her. She still felt panicked, but this time she didn't let it overtake her.

Now that she was below the waves, she could see the water pulses individually, as well as their origin. But the sand had now made the water to dark to see clearly, and it was only when she placed her visors back on did she see the outline of what was creating the turbulence. A large, multiple armed figure, screeched and howled as the chains of water attempted to wrap themselves around her, but were breaking off after each one had been successfully placed.

" YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME! ILL MAKE YOU PAY, YOU WATER BRAT!"

The light colored beast ripped some of the chains with a free hand, its face seemed to twitch and squirm, as one half aimed to calm the other.

"No-NO!" A slightly more feminine voice cried from the creature. Water engulfed the face of the screaming fusion in a last ditch effort to silence it, but it wasn't enough. A white light surfaced from Malachite and the previously steady blue striped form began to quiver and change, until finally the two gems that created the fusion dispersed from one another.

Peridot, who was watching the scene in horror, managed to dash behind an alcove and kept her head low as she stared, wide mouthed at Lapis and Jasper. "How, why, who...what are they doing here?!" Her brows knitted together, contemplative. _"So this is where they've been? They fused?!"_ It seemed like something Jasper, let alone Lapis, would never do-the large gem always thought lowly of their prisoner, didn't she? Her inner questions were trying to find inner answers, but she stopped to watch Jasper catch her breath and stand on her shaking legs.

" Ha—ha, haha—ha! You thought you could hold me down forever, huh? YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD HOLD ME DOWN?!" The tangerine colored gem roared at full volume.

Lapis, also trying to stand, outstretched her hands to her side and raised the ocean water that surrounded them up above their heads; she moved the water aside, trapping Jasper and herself in a water tunnel, so as to ensure the orange gem doesn't escape. Jasper, despite being absolutely exhausted began to move toward Lapis, first at a clumsy step, but then at a full run.

Her punch only hit the air as the water gem dove to the side and allowed a hand from the water wall to swat at her opponent, sending her flying. More hands wrapped around the violent warrior in an attempt to crush her form, but Jasper still managed to fight her way out of the hands' grasp and surprised the water gem with a kick that threw her across the ocean floor. Bruised and cut up, Jasper still managed to cackle as she once again ran forward to give another blow.

One more hit, and Lapis's form would be to badly damaged to continue. In desperation, she set a watery hand up above the incoming gem, and commanded it to slam right onto Jasper as she came mere feet away from Lapis. That was enough it seemed, as in an instant, the orange gem poofed into her needle like shard and fell into the sand. Realizing that she had won the fight, the blue gem fell to the ground from utter exhaustion and heaved a sigh, but managed to sit on her legs instead of completely collapsing. She grasped at the dark shard and was ready to crush it in her palm when a slight vibration on the loose floor caught her attention. She was sensitive about anything that moved in the water, which included the wet sand beneath her feet. It stilled, but Lapis knows that something about it wasn't right

Yet another vibration, and this time Lapis was able to pin point the source as something behind the alcove. A water hand reached from the wall and tried to grab the scrambling form, missing the first time, but not the second time as the thin form leaped to escape before catching on one of the hands.

Lapis's water hand took Peridot out from behind the alcove to get a better look in the light. The blue gem's anger surfaced once more as she saw the green gem squirming in the liquid grip, gasping and kicking at just about everything.

"You—tch—get—arghhh—let go of me!" The green gem spewed in her irritatingly high voice as she continued to struggle.

"You..."Lapis responded, her voice shaking with rage." I didn't think you would be so careless this time—but it looks like I get to kill to birds with one stone." She didn't smile, but she straightened her back and seemed to even relax slightly as the hand moved closer to the the ocean gem. Her gaze turned dark, her blue hand tightened into a fist; the water, acted on cue of the physical action made by Lapis, began to squeeze and tighten around the squirming green gem.

 _"Oh no, oh no oh no, she is going to crush me!"_ Peridot struggled even harder as she felt her torso and hips being crunched under the weight of the water. Her physical form could barely hold up under the pressure, and her fears were taking hold of her as she gasped. She didn't want to die, not on this planet, not because of this gem. She needed to get home, she needed to get back.

Terror engulfed Peridot as she suddenly couldn't get a breath in, as her arms went numb, she never felt so helpless before—she couldn't be so weak that she couldn't fight till the end, right? Her voice fell short as it tried to cry out in pain, but only another gasp escaped her. But she needed to say it, she needed to escape. She needed to see homeworld again. She had to survive.

"Wait, Lazuli!" Pain shot up her throat as she felt yet more pressure pinch her spine. But to Peridot's relief, the bone crushing pain had stopped. The water gem moved the hand down to eye level and sharpened her gaze.

" Listen-" Peridot choked slightly, still trying to catch her breath." You want to go back to homeworld, right?"

" That's not my home anymore." The blue gem murmured dangerously, savagely.

" You didn't see all of it, you only saw Yellow Diamond's reign of it."

" What do you mean?"

" Over at the Blue Diamond authority, nothing has changed since then. You are a part of the blue diamond authority right? Your records are not in our system so it must be in theirs."

"Your lying."

Peridot felt the immense pressure once again at her core.

"No—no im not!" Once again, the pain ceased.

" Why should I believe you? You took me prisoner, interrogated me, brought me back to this horrible place-"

" That wasn't me, I didn't do any harm to you!"

Another sudden force was applied to the already bent metal of Peridot's form

" Ow-ow-ow—look, if you go back to homeworld with me, ill show you!"

A firm, but puzzled look came about Lapis's face.

" How do I know this isn't some trick?"

She put some thought as to what she could say, after all, her answer would also be dependent on her life. But couldn't come up with any reason except," You will have to trust me."

The blue gem's glare returned, her gaze staring straight into the scared eyes of the technician.

" You and I both want to go home, and we can both do that. I just need your assistance!"

Lapis's glare did not soften, but she turned her head away to think about what Peridot has offered. She missed her beloved homeworld, and she would give anything to have it back. But was this true? Peridot didn't ever lay a hand on her, nor did she try to help her situation before. Not to mention the childish gem's loyalty was to no one other than her leader. But she could have easily taken advantage of Lapis while she was fighting Jasper a moment ago, and could have treated her worse on the ship. While Peridot was an unknown being to Lapis, she would do anything to go home. Her chest ached heavily at the thought; her only place of comfort was now possibly still in existence.

" What I wouldn't give to see home again." The gem's whisper was barely audible, and Peridot strained to hear it. In a flash however, the water that encircled Peridot released and fell to the ground, dropping the maniac as well. She sighed in relief and breathed, looking at her sides to see that they aren't horribly damaged—she can live with a few scratches on her metal arms and boots. Lapis looked down at her, feeling a slight hitch of anger and sorrow all at once at the thought of the old, loving homeworld being a fake, and warned," If I find out that you lied to me, I won't hesitate to kill you."

A shiver went down Peridot's spine, and she gulped hard despite her throat and neck aching terribly. She nodded with affirmation to Lapis's statement—it was the only thing she could do with her current, frightened state; not to mention the blue gem had a deep look of bitterness and anger aimed towards Peridot. She had to avoid saying anything that could incriminate her, especially now, knowing that all her previous words were nothing but lies. She came up with the most logical statement that would save her skin—and it did just that.

 _" I shouldn't worry though, once Yellow Diamond retrieves me, I won't have to worry about this."_ She felt a small grin tug at her lip but repressed it as to keep herself looking as neutral as possible.

"Confirmed." She said out loud, but noticed Lazuli was staring at the gem shard in her hand. It made Peridot feel somewhat uneasy, her escort was about to get crushed and yet here she is doing nothing about it. But then again, there was a part of her that disliked Jasper and her brashness; she would only get in the way of her plans to capture the crystal gems. Lapis's fingers closed on it once again, and as her grip tightened, a giant splash occurred behind them, and the water tunnel fell apart. It only took an instant for Peridot to see what was behind this new disturbance. It was plainly obvious since no other creature can distract or destroy Lapis's water manipulation so easily, it had to be a gem.

A corrupted gem.


	3. Chapter 3- Escape the Deep

It was really quite sudden. A moment ago, Peridot had been standing in a tunnel of water, relieved that her life had been spared and watching the water gem beside her try to crush her superior; but now she was back under the shimmering waves with who knows what terrible beast that's attempting to attack them. Her eyes scanned the deep as she clung to the ocean floor, only to get knocked over by a swat of the creature's tail, visors smacked off and landing face first in the sand. A turquoise hue covered the top of the corrupt gem while a white underbelly revealed deep scars from previous battles. A pair of black eyes followed Peridot's visor as it disappeared into thin air, before turning its torpedo-shaped body back to Lapis, who was preparing for a counter attack behind the green gem. She unleashed a pulse wave towards the thing to force it back, but the pulse merely brushed up against the gem's snout; it did nothing to stop it from charging forward. Her abilities were to weak-she didn't have strength left to fight off yet another enemy after having to fight off one for months.

"Of all the times for this to happen...it had to be now?!" The weakness took her legs first, sinking her to ground before her arms grew to heavy to lift from the floor; the jagged mouth of the creature coming fast. Lapis forced a water spike from the ground to pierce the white stomach of the gem, managing to deter the beast from an onward collision. It curved its body away from Lapis just as it was about to reach her, throwing an oval shaped fin wildly and hitting the blue gem squarely in the chest. A hammering pain in her chest was what finally willed Lapis to stand, growing more livid with anger as she let her emotions get the better of her. Its not enough that she had to deal with Jasper and Peridot, now a corrupt gem was also trying to bite her head off. It seemed that no matter how many times Lapis had won a fight, yet another one was waiting just around the corner. It was more than frustrating, it drove Lapis to hysterics as she raised her hand up above her head.

" Why can't everyone just-leave-me-alone!" another pulse swelled and flew through the water, this time actually immobilizing the shark-like gem as it hit the alcove. Shaking its head from side to side, the monster decided on a new plan of action as it opened its gaping jaw, forcing the surrounding water into its mouth in a huge sucking motion. The vaccum would have easily sucked up the two gems in if they hadn't dug themselves into the floor bed, but in the swirl, Lapis felt her arm swing in front of her and her hand began to slip on the orange shard in her palm. Not only was she in danger of losing the orange gem but the vaccum was starting to pull Lapis out of the wet sand and into the vortex. Lose her grip, or lose Jasper?

"Let it go! She won't survive!" Peridot insisted; she was rather fond of the idea. Even if she decided against it, the current managed to sweep the shard out of the ocean gem's hand and fall into the dark mouth of the monster, which now closed its jaw to feel whatever had flown in. Distracted by the shard, Lapis forced a watery hand around the alcove, breaking the rock and letting the pieces fall onto her foe. Afraid of being crushed beneath the raining sheaths, the gem made a dash towards open water, leaving a stream of bubbles behind it.

"Before it comes back!" The technician scrambled towards shore, though her heavy feet didn't make it any easier. Lapis followed her out, much more fluid in her motions than the green gem as they both surfaced. Cold air wicked about blue gem's skin, who shuddered from surprise at the dry conditions on the surface. She disliked it, and was tempted to return back to the deep before she saw the tail of the beast in the distance. It was safer up here this time.

Both crumpled to the floor as soon as they had exited the surf, Peridot being the happier of the two since she can finally turn off her weight system in her feet. The sea had calmed, with the waves now moving at smooth, rhythmic paces. Of course, to the green gem's annoyance, the clouds above had turned grey, indicating a coming storm.

" Great, perfect timing." She murmered under her breath, " As if I wasn't soaked through already.." Legs now free from the heavy mass, she rose to her feet to brush off the sand from her clothing, before turning to get a look at Lapis, who lay face down on the ground.

" We must retreat to some place with cover." The nasally voice reported, expecting some retort from the gem, but looked away when nothing occurred. Her gaze shifted to the dense sea caves to her right, though it looked like she will have to walk a good distance to get to them. " Why must there be so many troubles on this planet?"

Moving in the direction of shelter, Peridot felt like speaking of her complaints openly, but realized the the blue gem wasn't following when there was no reply to them. Lapis lay on the ground still, making no effort to move.

" Lazuli! We must reach the shelter before the weather inhibits us!"

She didn't move.

"Lazuli! Why aren't you moving?" Peridot stomped over to the motionless body.

"..." The gem's words were inaudible.

" What? Can you speak louder?"

" Im...tired." Lapis responded.

" What a great observation, now get up." Peridot was becoming rather impatient.

" I can't." The ocean gem's voice was hoarse, but was also getting rather irritated.

" You are simply making excuses. Get up, we have to go now!" The shrill voice wasn't helping anyone, but it was putting the green gem in a worse mood than before, especially since Lapis was not attempting to follow her orders.

" Carry me." The voice didn't plead as much it demanded.

" What? Im not going to carry you! I have my own weight to carry—ach, get up Lazuli!" The green gem's hands grabbed her wrists and tried to pull her up, which only pulled her slightly across the sand.

" Ow." Was the only answer given by the blue gem.

" You—I can't believe-alright fine!" Giving up on pulling the gem along shore like a log, she walked to the side of Lapis and swung her lifeless arms over her green shoulders. It was clear that the gem won't comply with Peridot's requests, so she would chose to submit to hers and get to safety a little faster rather than get caught in a rainstorm. To her surprise, putting the gem on her back was more difficult then expected, requiring Peridot's thin arms and back to practically throw her over instead of gently pulling her up. But then again, the ocean gem wasn't helping much either.

" Tch—stupid planet—stupid Lazuli—blast this weather!" Rain began to pour down at the water and made the sand heavy as Peridot finally managed to haul the water nymph up.

"I heard that."

Pursing her lips as to prevent herself from making some snide comment, Peridot focused on the task at hand.

While picking her up was difficult, Lapis wasn't as heavy as she had imagined. Even walking on the sand, it felt like the equivalent of holding a small child. Who knew that she would be so light? She didn't make much noise, nor did she make any more movements. Her arms were limp at first, but after Periot made a few missteps, the gem encircled them around her neck. Warmth engulfed her back, and the feeling of Lapis's breath brushing past her neck and shoulders didn't tick her off as much as she thought it would. On occasion, her skin would tingle beneath her clothes from the breaths, and at those points she was tempted to drop Lapis right where she stood. But she decided it better to deal with this than it is to drag her body along the rocks.

From time to time,the gem would look out of the corner of her eye to see the face above, wondering if she was really sleeping; her knitted brows indicated that she wasn't. Whenever her fingers would brush up against the smooth fabric of her dress, the silky texture brought on some form of curiosity that her hands wanted to explore. But she shooed away such feelings, and maintained her focus on the sea caves. Strange how both of the gems were from the same place, but both were completely different, down to the very fabrics that they wore. " Such strange circumstances." Peridot sighed.

While she didn't appreciate having to be the pack mule, there was something calming about the gentle rising and falling of Lapis's chest.

Maybe even...pleasant.


	4. Chapter 4- Peridot's Plan

Holes in the ceiling of the cave let in a bit of water from the passing storm, but it also illuminated the caverns when the sun did return. Shining in different directions, the warm rays hit all sides of the shelter, but was primarily aimed at the figure lying on one of the countless flat shelves, who covered her eyes with her arm at the abundance of light. It was the first time in a long time that Lapis had spent her energy relaxing rather than battling, so she was somewhat thankful for the change in scenery. But she could feel only a little bit of her strength returning, and her attempts at sleeping offered no results despite trying the multiple positions that she remembered. Her thoughts would not quiet, especially every time she thought she heard Peridot's footsteps enter the cave. She really didn't trust her. Appearing out of nowhere, offering to take her to homeworld—the real homeworld—it seemed like something suspicious. Her heart ached at the memory, but a voice also reasoned that their couldn't be an old homeworld, not after all these centuries; not after the Rebellion. Destroying Peridot didn't bother her, but with being as weak as she is, she wasn't sure just how easy it would be to take her down; the gem was in her element last time, but now she was stuck on land.

 _"I need to reserve as much of my strength as possible; she hasn't done anything yet."_ It wasn't the wisest choice to wait; she would be at the mercy of the environment. But she would rather see what exactly Peridot had in mind before she made any attempts at her life. _"Who knows? Maybe that strange alien really has something to offer?"_ She let her arm fall from he face and onto her chest: another dull pain was making a nest inside of the cavity, clawing at the walls. She bit her tongue to keep the tears from emerging.

 _"I just-want to go home."_

Meanwhile, a certain green gem was making the best of her time. Trudging through the dense jungle, she made no effort to conceal herself as she rummaged about the brushwood; it wouldn't surprise her if something came out to investigate, but she was far more invested in her green data screen to care.

 _" Hmm...the warp pad should be around here somewhere."_ Eyes returned to the monitor in front of her face, information pulling up to answer to the gem's thoughts. She circled a small code of coordinates, before following the directions out of the vine grotto. Back in the view of the space ships, she saw the warp pad sitting a few feet away from her, underneath a bunch of leaf litter. She swept the leaves and twigs aside to reveal the crystal surface, appearing undamaged to Peridot's relief. It would be an incredible nuisance if those clods broke any more warp pads.

Checking off the notes in her display, she returned her fingers to her hand and began to walk back down to the ocean; she needed to get her plan into action. Lapis wasn't a fool, but she was ruled by her emotions; it's only because of the fact that she misses her home so much that it has allowed for Peridot's plan to become feasible.

"What a joke, that Lazuli. Falling right into my hands—can this be any easier?" She scoffed, kicking a pebble down a hill. _"Once im done fixing my pod, even she won't be able to defeat me."_ The gem was weak—she was unsuspecting, and most importantly—she thinks she is safe now that Jasper is gone. Warrior or not, she would never suspect Peridot of having any skills—and that would be her downfall. An evil smile surfaced on her lips, _" She really will be at my mercy."_

Of course Peridot didn't have weapons like the gems save her technology, but she thought of herself as much too intelligent for the likes of them. Why attempt to fight and possibly be damaged when all you have to do was use your head a little? The Crystal Gems had no real way to catch her—and Lapis, now away from her watery abode, had as little of a chance at destroying her as do her foes. Gleefully, she assured herself that she will always be one step ahead. No one can stop her now, not earth-and certainly not the earth gems.

The sea caves were visible now; black, jagged shapes revealing empty caves below. Reaching the cliffs, she could see that the water was unusually rough, and wondered if her water companion was the cause. Pausing to see if she could make a jump down to the sand, Peridot was confident that the distance was not to great, and launched herself into the air, landing on the loose sand near the caverns. She never knew which cave was the one she had been resting in with Lapis, so decided on calling out to her instead.

"Lazuli!" The voice was silenced by the waves, crashing against shore.

" Lazuli! Tch—Lazuli, respond already!" No figure appeared. Peridot scanned the horizon for any sign of the blue gem, biting her fingers as she felt her nervousness grow. _" Has she abandoned me? Has she seen through my plan?!"_ Restless, she began to scale up one of the cliffs, and ran to the front to look over the ocean. If she has left, then all of her planning...all of her strategy...it would be for nothing! How can she fail a plan that wasn't even put into action?

" Lazuli!" Filled with urgency, she called out again, more frantic this time.

" LA-ZU-LI!"

The ocean waves grew smaller, until they completely stilled, as if the breeze from behind her had calmed the sea's wrath. Her paranoia had quelled, it couldn't be anybody but the blue gem she was searching for. The slow stream of bubbles under the water were coming towards shore, and Lapis exited the water before stretching her arms behind her back.

" I heard you the first four times." She retorted, eyes lazily following Peridot as she climbed down the wall.

" Well why didn't you answer?!" The gem threw her hands up furiously.

" I was looking for that thing that attacked us."

Peridot's face grew still, then formed into one of confusion, before finally sighing.

" Jasper's dead, she couldn't have possibly survived."

" Well then where did it go? It should have stuck around if that were the case."

The alien snickered, waving her hand irritably. " You are worrying over nothing." Peridot spread one hand out and opened up her screen, starting to move towards the jungle. " You can keep looking, but you're wasting time."

Lapis frowned at her convictions; its not as though she had absolutely no reason to worry. She may have escaped, but what was the likelihood. _" Is it to much just to make sure?"_ Then again, if anyone is the most paranoid about Jasper returning, it would probably be Peridot. She seemed the most likeliest to break out in full panic, as seen a few minutes ago. So if the erratic alien wasn't worried, why should she be? Contemplating the green gem's statement, Lapis gazed back at the ocean once more, before she followed in pursuit of Peridot, who was already insulting the plant life for being too widespread.

They didn't exchange many words as they muddled about the rainforest. But quite a couple of questions were nagging at Lapis's mind as they scaled a hill.

" What exactly do you need me for?" The water gem clasped her hands around her dress to keep it from catching on the branches.

Peridot whacked another tree branch before probably for the third time, it smacked her in the face.

" Those crystal gems have my pod. They don't trust me, so I need you to convince them that im no threat." Her nub like fingers rubbed her cheek.

The uncertain feeling returned, biting at Lapis's insides with more insistence.

" Are you really?"

"Really what?"

" Not a threat?"

Peridot's chest tingled viciously, as if in a panic. _"Has she caught on?"_ She bit her lip, but didn't turn her head to the blue gem's face her as she stomped onward. Suddenly, she felt sweatier than before, despite the dryness. The blue gem awaited a response, and the technician was starting to feel the pressure build on her mind. _"Think of something/ something convincing."_ Her throat was becoming dryer by the minute. She swallowed hard before she opened her mouth to answer.

"I..." She hesitated as the words started to form in her mind.

" I...had managed to call Yellow Diamond."

Lapis stopped and stepped back, her fingers clenching. _" Was I right? Is she leading me on?"_

The green gem finally looked back and saw Lapis's defensive posture, finding her voice shake a little as she continued.

" And... she sent me a reply."

"Oh? And what was the reply?" Lapis could feel the fury reach her tongue, ready to spew whatever words come to mind.

" She won't be coming for me."

The answer was not what she expected. Her anger subsided, but switched in for suspicion.

" Huh?"

" She...said that ive...failed the mission. There will be no rescue coming." The jittery feeling in Peridot's limbs had quieted, all of her anxieties released—instant relief filled her. It was going accordingly.

" So why are you trying to get home then?" Rather curious as to Peridot's reasoning—and still somewhat uncertain of her honesty.

"Be-be-because! Im not going to stay and live out my existence on this cruddy planet!" She folded her arms defensively, face full of zealous pride. " I would rather die there and at least get to see my home before I perish. Besides, I would get to see my leader and fulfill my one true wish: to see her sit atop her throne and recognize me!"

" You must really hate earth if that's how you feel." Lapis had already been a good couple of yards ahead who wasn't interested in Peridot's rant. Yellow Diamond was of no concern to her, and it somewhat disturbed her that she would put her own life at risk just to see her boss. Something about the idea made her irritated. Risking your life for a heartless superior...maybe Peridot was the foolish one.

The green gem smirked as she trotted behind the blue nymph. " Yes, Yellow Diamond is the absolute best! She is cold and calculating...her gaze can turn a gem to stone if she wished it!" At this point, she wasn't even rambling to keep up the story, she was beaming at the thought of her leader. The gem really did respect her, and was honored when the queen had selected her for this all important mission. Butterflies flew about her stomach as she was practically skipping." No one can match her superiority, her grace, her intellig—" her face smacked straight into Lapis's back. Holding her nose, she uttered something inaudible before sneering in her direction.

" Lazuli! What is the meaning of this!? Why have you—" Lapis's fingers wrapped around the collar of Peridot's shirt and pulled her down into the bushes, all in one smooth motion.

" What is the meaning of—?" The blue gem's face was close, and it made Peridot slightly self conscious; she was too close for her liking.

She lifted a finger to her blue lips, eyes shifting to the plateau that was just beyond the trees. Peridot followed her gaze and saw the outline of five moving shapes on the ground. One was a tall, six legged creature that appeared reptilian in nature. _" A corrupted gem...just how many of these are there?"_ Her eyes narrowed; it was lucky they weren't seen.

 _"But wait, who are the other four gems...?"_

They didn't have similar, hideous forms like the giant. Small, and most of them looked humanoid. It could only be one thing.

It couldn't have been anybody else but them.

 _"The Crystal Gems!"_


	5. Chapter 5- Reckless Belief

" Steven!"

Lapis uttered his name with growing anxiety, covering her mouth to hold back a gasp. The young boy who had freed her many months ago from her mirror prison was now fighting monsters ten times his size, right in front of her. She recalled his good nature towards her being, his laughs and jokes; how he approached her on the ship only to beg her for her safe return in his dreams, inside Malachite. She missed him. And she knew she did as she felt an overwhelming sense of joy overtake her as she saw his shape, standing next to the crystal gems. A smile laid on her lips and a small bit of excitement palpitated through her, though the green gem beside her seemed more concerned then happy at the presence of the gems. But the little gem was not as helpless as she had remembered, that was for sure.. He had grown much stronger, able to summon his pink, rose embellished shield with more consistency, and evade the basic swipes of the corrupted gem's jaws. His teamwork with his guardians had also improved vastly, protecting his equally short mentor, Amethyst, from another bite as he threw his weapon into the crest of the beast's head, making it dizzy. And his teammates had also grown in their togetherness, as Pearl and Garnet slashed away at the creature's legs, finally bringing it down to the ground.

This small boy had grown, and for some reason it scared her. Was he the still the Steven that saved her, that wanted to help her, that wanted her back? What she did for him, she only did to return the favor that he had done for her; but she couldn't help but miss his kindness—he didn't treat her like the others did, like a tool, like an enemy. He came back for her, he cared.

So when the behemoth gem collapsed and released its form to reveal six smaller corrupted gems, Lapis felt her fears return. "We've gotta help them." The blue gem's voice was firm, assertive.

" Has your brain rotted under all of that salt water? We can't do that!" Peridot grabbed Lapis's shoulder, who looked ready to enter the fray." Those gem's are armed and we need to approach them in a friendly manner and—"

Lapis disregarded all that the technician had offered, as she watched one of the mini reptilians leap and went right for Steven. " STEVEN!" This time the gem's voice was heard by everyone as the blue gem dashed out from the brush to defend the quartz child, despite Peridot's shriek's off," Lazuli! Return here this instant!" as she also stood up.

Though the gem was smaller, the reptilian was still incredibly savage towards its opponents, and even Lapis's scalding water had minimally impacted the creature's intent. Steven had managed to confuse the gem once more as he hit its skull with another spinning shield. Attention now focused on the blue protector, he could not withhold a yelp of glee as he realized that the water gem was standing before him, in real, physical time.

" Lapis! You're okay!" the little gem cried. She returned his grin with a kind smile of her own. He hadn't changed; he still had that same starry look in his eyes.

But the moment of distraction was all that was needed for the opponent, who shot a beam of light at the blue gem. It all seemed so sudden, a minute ago she saw the boy beaming at her, and then the next she sensed the bolt of energy slice through her chest. She couldn't prepare for it, she couldn't defend herself.

Enveloped in the familiar feeling of numbness that snaked up her body, her hands touched at the point of where the beam had hit, where a hole was in place, and then looked to the horrified face of the human gem that she had just tried to save. " Steven..." her voice wavered, on the brink of disappearing. _" Im sorry.."_

Unable to hold on to her physical form, she poofed into her gem, releasing a cloud of smoke where she stood.

"NO, LAPIS!"The human gem trotted over to the Lazuli stone, quickly grasping it in his hands. He knew she would be okay, but it there was something unsettling about watching his friend disappear—a gem stone is the focal point of a gem's vulnerability. A gem can't do anything in its rock form, whether defend itself or attack. She was dependent now, relying on him for protection. A poor choice, as Steven had once again gotten distracted and forgotten that his foe was back on the offensive, and practically a leap away from him. He created a pink bubble around himself with the stone right when the creature had landed on him, and was bounced backwards by the corrupted gem—hitting the unfortunate person standing right in between the trees.

Peridot grumbled something under her breath, probably another insult, as she got back on her feet, soothing her face with her fingers. She of all people sat back to avoid getting into the fight, and yet still became a part of it; when it comes to the crystal gems, she should have figured that it was a rather inevitable outcome. There wasn't much talking between Steven and Peridot, they were both dumb struck with their circumstances; with the green gem being hit in the face once again by the quartz child, and he by the fact that it was Peridot who now stood in front of him. Both were frozen, at least until Peridot registered that Steven had Lapis in his hands. Her irritation returned as she snatched the Lazuli stone right from his chubby palms and examined it.

" Well at least you didn't break it..."

" Hey! Give her back!" The gem attempted to scamper up to reach her arm, but she placed her free hand against his face to prevent him from getting closer.

" Why you—argh quit it! She's MY informant!" A frown placed on her lips, a big stress on the work my.

" Well she is MY beach summer fun buddy!" Steven retorted, past her hand now, and jumping up and down to get at Peridot's other hand.

"Don't give her such strange, earthly labels—she wouldn't possibly understan—EUUUUHAHHHH!" She had barely missed the razor sharp claws of the corrupted gem, whom had now reached the quarreling gems. It would be best not to stay, so Peridot decided to make a run for it, delving up through a rocky canyon. Steven was following in hot pursuit, and the crystal gems—having taken care of the other five minis—join the chase.

This was the opposite of what Peridot had hoped for. Not only was she being chased up the rocks by another gem, but she had her other enemies also trailing behind, not to mention that Lapis was of no help either. Clearly, this was a giant miscalculation, and who knew if the gem would escape to make any more. Her feet were stumbling as she went uphill, a few stray beams hitting the rocks next to her. The shattering sound had tripped up the green gem, who was nearing a dead end anyway. On the floor, the beast was about to pounce—but a light spear slid straight into the gem's chest—finally being the last hit needed to bring down the corrupted gem. It slumped over, before poofing into a round, emerald colored jewl. But Peridot was nowhere near safe, even as the crystal gems took and bubbled the stone—it was now her turn to be attacked.

" Wawawa-wait a minute! This is all a big misundersta—UHHAUA!" Garnet's gauntlets punched the ground, missing Peridot's head by a hairs length, forcing it to crack, and the alien dashing upwards to escape. From the looks of it, the gems won't stop to listen— _"tch Lazuli, of all the times, now would be the best one to come back!"_ She prepared her cannon, aimed at the four who were closing in, trapping her against the walls of the canyon. Flying up is impossible, Pearl will just hit her with her spear, scaling the walls when Amethyst can fling her whip around, that also seemed like a horrible choice; she could only rely on the water nymph. Her eyes darted to the stone in her hand, feeling a sense of desperation flood her mind. _" Please..."_

The canon was loading, forming a bigger electric ball as the group neared.

 _"Please Lapis..."_ It was almost done charging.

 _"Please Lapis...save me!"_

The cannon did not go off.

As if awakened by Peridot's mental plea, light traveled outwardly in all directions from the jewel, growing brighter by the second. Rising from Peridot's hand, a body swallowed the light, taking its life to reform the water nymph that was inside it. Her dress uncurled to reveal a thin black ribbon around her waist where the previous opening was, and the emblem of a dark blue star on her chest. It was simple, but the design had given up its identity—Lapis was now an earth gem. Everyone was caught by surprise at Lapis's appearance, but with her entrance, the tension between the enemies had softened.

" Lapis!" Steven was the first to approach the water gem, full of zeal. Lapis giggled and murmured a," Hi Steven," then turning to face the other three gems; her smile faded into neutrality, still bitter as she remembered her imprisonment. Peridot was absolutely relieved; now that Lapis was here, the rough edges between the two groups can now be smoothed over. Feeling much more safe now, the green gem neared and hide behind the reformed nymph; it was best to look as innocent as possible, and the gems really wouldn't hurt her if she stayed behind Lapis. At least that's what she assumed. They couldn't be threatened by the water gem, she was already accepted for her sacrifice—she was already cared for by Steven. At least this is what Peridot had hoped for. This is what she needs.

" Lapis, step aside. Peridot is the enemy—she can't be trusted." Garnet seemed to have calmed, with her movements growing more brisk as she motioned over to the green gem.

"Let us have her."

" Wait, please let me explain." Fixated on the gems now, she took a steady stance in front of her companion. " She...wants to surrender."

"What?!" Pearl was the one to speak now, voice becoming cross. " Since when? She couldn't possibly have—she was the one who sent the signal at the Communication Hub!"

" Yeah, and she tried to kill us on the space ship!" Amethyst had now joined in.

Lapis raised a brow as her gaze settled on the gem behind her, none to amused, and questioning. Peridot hadn't mentioned those things before, but they weren't exactly speaking to one another consistently either—just saying what was needed. But her main concern was that Steven was no doubt put in danger because of her—she could care less about the other gems—but Peridot had threatened to hurt Steven.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Peridot squirmed under their stares; something must be said to convince them.

" I..look I was just defending myself—"

"Ha! Defending? You were trying to destroy us! Crush us!"Pearl retorted, pointing her long fingers to the startled gem. " As if you would ever—"

" Yellow Diamond isn't coming."

The reply hung in the air with heaviness, the statement was not one to be expected either. Amethyst looked to the two taller figures, in disbelief while Pearl fiddled with her hands. Out of all of them, it seemed like Steven had the most neutral impression; he didn't know what to believe.

" She sent me a reply...she told me that I have failed the mission and that I can't return—but I want to go back! I need my pod so that I can turn back!" Peridot felt her voice quiver, unsure if it was for dramatic effect, or if the choking feeling in her heart had risen to explain some truth. Yellow Diamond had not answered her, it shouldn't be taking so long. In her heart, the swelling question of," maybe no answer is an answer" had repeatedly surfaced in her mind. If that was the case, then the gem will really did have to actually make a ship to get home—which was only her last resort. But the voice in her head echoed opposite. She had to have faith, she couldn't have been left here. Not so simply, not so suddenly. The plan—the plan needed to start, and as she refocused, she erased the wavering with more force.

" I want to go home, but I need my pod. I want to fix it and return home." The gem now stood up and now exposed herself to the fierce gazes of the other gems, and raised her hands next to her head. She needs this. She needs this badly.

The crystal gems all looked to one another, puzzled before a young voice broke the silence.

" I think we should let her." All eyes now focused on the voice's source, Steven.

" But Steven, she is our enemy!" the long, pale gem was about to start...

" But its much easier than having to hunt her down, and on top of that, we can watch her in the temple." The human gem looked up to his mentors with plea. " Can't we just...give her a chance?"

Both Amethyst and Pearl peered over at the taller gem, where the unofficial leader of the team pondered the boy's request. She looked to Peridot and Lapis, before turning back to the boy, who now moved closer to her. It was hard to decide, even with the aid of her future vision; she wasn't sure just how much of a moral transformation Peridot had gone through—or even if she went through one at all. But the small boy's appeals finally assured her of her decision, though cautious of her answer.

" We'll let her stay."


	6. Chapter 6- Inefficient

Three days.

It had been three days since the two were taken in by the crystal gems, and Peridot made work the primary focus of all of those days. The technician had been itching to see the damage done to her beloved pod, and to her horror, the dismantled mess on the floor had confirmed her worst fears.

Pearl had taken apart the entire machine in order to track her using the warp system-all of its tubular insides and wires had been taken out and were laid across the living room floor. Her fury couldn't even being to match what the gems had expected, as she mouthed incoherent words and phrases while grabbing clumps of her hair as she assessed the clutter. Not only did she have to repair the ship's core, but she had to somehow figure out how the machine will move again-all using the simple tools of a car mechanic that Pearl had handed to her as she fervently began to pick up the pieces. It was shameful really, that such a a task could only be achieved by human tools, even though they are in the hands of an experienced computer geek.

So of course Peridot found reason to be upset- and upset she was; for over three days. Her heart and soul went into fixing and inspecting every nook and cranny that was in some need of repair, or moved restlessly just to keep her distracted from Pearl's gaze. The gems had been keeping a close eye on her as well, after all _," one doesn't simply become integrated into the household of one of your previous enemies',"_ though it was mainly Pearl who kept watch since both Garnet and Amethyst found little interest in her, and were much more easily comforted by Garnet's future vision then the pale gem. She was the most paranoid of all the gems, and it made the green alien uneasy; she was the most observant- if anyone would figure out her plan-it would be her. In Peridot's mind, it was a little obvious that the pod was being mended with extra features, such as the singular, lazer beams were now redirected and can shoot more continuously, but having offered," there are a lot of hazards when one travels the galaxy," Pearl was satisfied, and continued to observe.

There was something reassuring about the process; to work with something from her home planet, it filled her with calm that eventually stopped her disparaging words towards to the home's residents, leaving only the clinks of her instruments. But on the other hand, Peridot knew that this would not be an easy fix; it would take her a week just to put everything back- she didn't know how long it would be before the pod was even capable of flight. Such uncertainty did make her feel discouraged, even more so then the thought of not being rescued. She had already been trapped on Earth for at least a month, and already in that time she had faced more threats from humans, gems, and storms than she ever did on Homeworld. Not to mention the longer she stays on earth, the more the likelihood of being discovered increases. But with such crude instruments...it was hardly easy for the green gem. But she never let her insecurities surface, retaining her look of focus and shooed away her deep inner thoughts, trading them in for a technical debate as to whether or not she should try to fix a gem destabilizer, or use its contents for the pod.

Other than Pearl, Peridot had not really seen Lapis or Steven either. After the gem's return, the water nymph spent most of her time with Steven, going away together for hours at a time, returning to the house with the young boy gleaming, excitedly mumbling something to Lapis, who laughed as a result before disappearing at night and rejoined him later in the morning. While Peridot wondered what the two had been doing for two days that required such a strange schedule, she never asked nor did she further indulge her curiosities. As long as no one interfered with her repairs, Peridot paid no mind to them; any distraction from her work would only further delay the project- and time was the only thing that the resolute alien had cared for.

She never realized just how much time she spent on the living room floor, until she happened to look up to see that no one was around one night. Her eyes darted to the corners of the kitchen, the room where Steven's bed was, and around the warp pad, but the spaces were completely empty. Who knew where everyone had gone, but it was more surprising to see that even her guards had vanished. It might have been that they had a mission to go on, but to be left to her own devices...Peridot didn't think it to be a very wise decision- she expected that it would take longer to gain their trust. But it might have been the boy gem's doing, since he was also the one to initially convince his guardians of her apparent innocence.

" If that's the case, then I really do feel sorry for them." An unconscious half-smile crept up on her lips, and her arms crossed her chest as she looked down to the pod with sly eyes. Maybe it would be easier than she expected; maybe they will reveal their secrets- their strengths- their weaknesses. To Peridot, there was no honor in a fight- the best way to win is to be sharp, deceitful...trap your enemies without having to lay a finger on them. There is an art in being so clever that it confounds others, and who better to demonstrate such abilities then the technician herself? However, if she is to succeed, she must also fully convince the water gem as well, whose entrance was sounded by the creaking of the door.

Slamming closed, Lapis's winged form cast a shadow in front of her; Peridot could only tell it was her from the shadow since the house enveloped her with darkness. Her friend was not with her- yet another surprise- and she didn't seem as cheerful. An exasperated sigh specified no malice or anger, but more of tiredness as her footsteps echoed in sequence with her movements, which had implied that she was now sitting down on the couch across from Peridot. Though the couch exhaled from the added weight, there wasn't any noise; the two did not exchange any words between them, even as the green gem turned on the viridescent light of her screen and hovered it over herself, her suspicious gaze following Lapis's form out of the corner of her eye.

It was quite awkward at first; Peridot was not fully aware of anyone previously when her concentration was not ruined, but now mindful of her company, she couldn't quite focus on putting the parts together when she wondered what the blue gem had wanted here. _" Ahh great, stupid clod Lazuli..."_ she mouthed silently, feeling her frustration grow as the two pieces she held wouldn't come together. Consciously, the gem wasn't sure what about the water nymph had irritated her so, but it might have been Lapis's indolent stare.

"How long will it take?" Finally a voice other than her inner one had entered the space.

"What?"

"The pod...how long will it take to fix?" The voice insisted.

Peridot thought about not answering at all, since it would only interfere with her concentration, but decided it better than to make the air tense with disregard. It not as though Lazuli had been a pain to her before and earned her disdain.

" A week just to put everything back, two weeks to fix it completely."

Lapis scoffed as she shifted her eyes to the warp pad, a disinterested look plastered to her face as she spoke," Not long at all." Her arms rested on the back on the sofa.

Once again, the silence returned, with the green gem becoming more irked by her presence. What was the point of sitting there, staring at her and then looking around? It wasn't productive, and there was no real purpose for it. Why did Lapis persist? Was there something she wanted? Something like a smile appeared on her face, at least from what she could tell from the moonlight piercing through the door, which annoyed her further. What was this gem doing? A long pause in Peridot's mind was broken with _," Why was she smiling?"_ Chin up, and finally turning to face her, the green gem growled," Grown tired of the Steven?"

Not her intended question, but better to say something instead of staring in the dark.

" No, why?" Lapis questioned, her elbow coming to rest on her knee, and covering her mouth in a interrogating fashion.

" You didn't seem worried about our departure until this moment." Her free hand waving at the air, going back to busy herself with her controls.

" I was only wondering." Another pause ensued before she pose another question," Why do you call Steven that?"

"What? You mean," the Steven?"

" Yeah, why do you call him that?"

Peridot felt her frown return, and her brow knit as she looked back to Lapis." Why else, he is not a complete human, from what Jasper had exclaimed, and he is not a full gem. He is some oddity, unique to itself." She was right after all, that's what Steven was, a half gem-a half human. Even she was surprised when she saw the boy on her space ship, he looked exactly like a human- but no human can summon a shield. And to Jasper's confusion, he had the gem of an ancient, rebellion leader, one who's name had been all but erased in Homeworld. Her fingers scratched at a bit of dirt on the metal," He is a strange creature, all powerful yet not at all."

" Do you hate Steven?"

The green gem didn't pay attention to the seriousness in Lapis's voice, so answered causally," He is the same as the crystal gems... a nuisance."

There was something brusque about Lapis's words, like how a fly's buzzing finally ticks of a listener to the point of action; the water gem seemed to have disliked her answer, as the fingers on her spare arm curled and gripped the couch cushion, swinging her arm out to throw the object right at Peridot's face. She yelped out in surprise, then threw the cushion aside, a dis pleasured look aimed at the screen door.

"Tch-you really care for him don't you?"

Disregarding, Peridots remarks, she sternly replied," Don't even think about hurting Steven."

" Think about who you're talking too." Peridot stood up to her full height, to try and make herself feel important after getting smacked with a pillow, brushed the dirt from her legs and barked," Im the one who is going to fly us home! Home to that dysfunctional, uncivilized, inefficient place you call home-wor-"

This time the coffee table was the subject of Lapis's wrath as it was thrown onto the rambling gem, knocking her down. She had also gotten up from the sofa, and was advancing towards the stumbling alien, who was still trying to retort with," Lazuli! Why you..."

" How dare you?!" A watery hand grasped at Peridot's clothes, lifting her up by them; she was now a head taller than the water gem. But despite Lapis's threats, the gem didn't cease her slander.

" Your disruptive, unproductive homeworld is a shameful excuse for our history, our legacy! It can't even compare to the current homeworld, with its unfit technology and its barbarian gems! Its an eye sore for a planet and good riddance too since its-...its.."

The blue gem was still.

It seemed like Lapis wasn't listening, but the trembling water/wing hand said otherwise. She had tilted her head down so that her eyes were covered by her bangs, but Peridot could still see her nose crinkle and mouth bend to an unpleasant grimace, her other water hand also moving to grip the startled gem's shirt. Contemplating it seemed, but she didn't know what she would be contemplating about; maybe how hard she would need to punch to destroy the technicians form. However, there was no further action from her. Frozen by Peridot's words, Lapis was unable to do much else except hold her adversary up.

Confused, but relieved, Peridot forced her composure to return, and allowed cold eyes to glance down at the form holding her, and exclaimed," Leave."

Lapis kept her hold for another minute before dropping her where she stood, the green gem landing with a thud that could wake the entire house, and walked out the door; quietly stopping the door from hitting the frame by placing her hand behind her and touching above the handle, closing it shut. Her back was still to the green gem, even as she opened her wings and jumped off the balcony, flying off to who knows where.

Peridot was as much stunned as she was aggravated. Coming in and sitting nonchalantly, then getting hostile which led to her childish outburst, what does she know? All that was said was true; the previous homeworld was primitive, an unpolished place where everything was solved with violence, where efficiency was traded in for luxury, for honor. It couldn't even compare to the powerful, single minded homeworld that exits today; an ignominious other half that was best left to erode away under the crust of the revolutionary homeworld, unseen and unknown. Why did she defend-no cherish- such a degrading place, even with the atrocities that were committed here on earth by no one other than her leaders? Does she really value that pathetic excuse for a kingdom, that abominable disgrace? To her, her home was undefeatable, cold, with purpose-with reason. Yellow Diamond's homeworld, it lived with motivations- goals, sacrificing for the prosperity of all as a collective unit- not just for individuals, but for all of gem kind. How could Lapis see any ugliness in this place- in her home? Who does she think she is?

There was no way for Peridot to understand. The whole skirmish seemed illogical, foolish even. Like a child who fights to protect a measly little sand castle that would only be demolished by the waves anyway. Despite being thousands of years older than her, Lapis acted like a child- a tantrum throwing child gem that didn't know how to give up what is gone. The whole reason her scheme will work is because Lapis refuses to abandon the notion that her beloved home is still there- the water gem's irrationality bothered her, even as she sat back down to work on her pod- it was irritating her.

But why so much?

" Peridot?" A small, young voice called out tentatively. She looked up to the source, and saw her stout roommate peer out from his bed. Peridot hadn't realized that Steven had been sitting there this whole time- how did he evade her eyes when she last scoured the room?

" What is it?" Her tone was harsher than she intended, causing the half-gem to flinch. Her hands plunged back into the insides of the machine, trying to focus her rage on the inanimate object.

" Shouldn't you...apologize?"

" What?! Why?" Peridot also hadn't expected that from him. She had only just grasped that he had watched their entire dispute. What did he think when she mentioned that she disliked him?

" Well, you did say something mean. She seemed really upset..."

" That isn't any of my concern. I don't choose who or what she gets upset about." She answered briskly.

Steven hung about on his bed for a moment, then slowly slid off and stepped down the stairs, pausing at the last step; offering a placid look that seemed to inquire something. Peridot did not remove her gaze from her hands, but knew he was still staring. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but decided that he was requesting to come forward, and slid herself a small amount to her right to make room. Correct in her assumption, Steven gingerly stepped over the tools and tubes of glowing blue liquid once he saw her move, and quickly took a seat next to her, eyes aimed at the wrench in her disjointed hand. Surprisingly, Peridot didn't feel complete anger or annoyance at his proximity. She would have if he had asked her a million questions or began to touch her instruments or poke at her floating digits, but he remained quiet by her side, fiddling with his hands. Its not that she wanted his company, but lingered more on the reason of,"why not?" As long as he behaved, she found no logic in dismissing him, especially since he was the one who let her stay.

Her fury had disappeared, replaced with an untroubled thoughts, mainly questioning just what the boy gem had in mind. There was another long silence before he finally spoke.

" Its her home you know."

" That doesn't phase me."

" Was it really that bad?"

" The place she speaks of was in complete chaos. Incredibly incapable at anything but violence."

" She might think the same thing about homeworld now."

With the last phrase, Peridot paused from her business, but still did not look down at him.

" She is as inefficient as the world she comes from."

At this point, she finally managed to stare at him from the corner of her eye, her tone soaking with assertiveness. " She doesn't know anything better." Steven gazed down at his hands, clearly contemplating what to say next; nervous as he was, he was still able to reply with his own confirmation," I don't think its all about being efficient."

Peridot paused, but let him continue.

" Lapis...she saw it as beautiful. It was her home, and she felt happy that she could go back. She told me how she was really happy that you're taking her back...but of course she would like it more than the homeworld now. Its like...if someone had a better homeworld and came to you and said that your homeworld stinks, you know? Even if its not efficient... what matters was that it is the only thing that she knows and cares about. So for you to say that to her...it makes her feel bad. And you two shouldn't fight...its not healthy!"

He stood up on his short legs and pointed one of his stubby fingers at her, confidently adding," If you two don't get along, then it'll make it weird when you're on the ship! You two will just sit there, and not to talk to each other... and you won't be able to play games with each other...or listen to funky space music because you two aren't getting along..." He listed off each of the things on his fingers, trying to imagine more as he gaped at the ceiling, but hummed instead, finally content with the list he had. He shifted his stare down to Peridot, who had once again been paying with the wrench in her hand, tapping it against one of her palms.

Maybe what he said was true, it would be incredibly difficult to drive home with an unhappy passenger, especially one as unpredictable as Lapis. If they were both going to go together, they might as well be on the most neutral terms as possible, or else they would only cause unnecessary trouble. Peridot still did not completely understand Steven's reasoning as to why Lapis was so distressed, but decided that it would be better to apologize now before she gets dragged into another, more damaging fight.

She released a sigh and stood up, stretching her arms above her head before heading to the door, murmuring," why do I have to be the one who apologizes? She was the one who threw the coffee table..."Steven smiled lightly in her direction, and followed suit, waiting at the top of the balcony as Peridot descended the sea board stairs to the beach.

The blue form near the waves did not move from her position, facing the whipping waves. The turmoil in the sea mimicked her twirling inner thoughts, no doubt a reflection of her unstable emotions. Peridot knew she would not take kindly to her presence, but figured that she would listen either way. If she is sucked under the water, the boy gem will report it to his guardians. At least that was comforting.

Lapis did not turn to her as she approached, but mumbled hoarsely, " What do you want?"

She didn't sound very friendly, her viper tongue coating each individual word with anger. Careful not to answer disdainfully, the green gem waited a moment before giving a reply. With the most audacious tone she could muster, she growled:

" I do not think it's wise to sit here and argue. We are both stuck here until I can get everything fixed- so it would be best to live among-st one another with as much equanimity as possible. Even though you are clearly the one at fault, I shall take responsibility and apologi-"

Wrong word.

Unfortunately, Peridot's apology resonated with more arrogance than culpability, which caused the water to rush past Lapis's legs to rise up and smack the green gem down into the sand. Once the water receded, the green gem resumed with muttering and hissings of," Lazuli! You-tch- water clod you-arggghh!"

Clearly, the blue gem would not take her apology, so Peridot was about to embark back to the house before catching a glimpse of a waving Steven, who now stood on the balcony railing. She replaced her visors that had been knocked of her face, and squinted to see the gem holding some large, white poster board. In neon green writing, she read the words out loud in a perplexed modulation:

" Im- sorry- Lapis. I- should- not- have- said- what- I- said-"

 _"Oh"_

 _"The Steven is helping me gain Lazuli's forgiveness."_

At the comprehension of what the green lettered words were for, she announced more certainly," I- know- we- have- our- differences. But- I- want- us- to- still- be- friends-"

 _"Excuse me?"_ That was not Peridot's intention. She had not wanted friendship-she wanted good terms. And now the boy gem had made her say even more unnecessary things. This wasn't her motive at all. _" Why that little clod-he-"_

" Are you really sorry?"

Lapis's voice broke Peridot's trance, but still refused to look back to her. The apology was yet to be accepted, but at least she was willing to answer without hitting her down with the surf; which meant that she had softened- but only a touch. The work still needed to be completed, and it would only waste more time to explain that she merely wanted to say her sorrys and be on her way and have nothing to do with being friends. She wasn't repulsed by the idea, but for now it was-inefficient.

So she replied with:

"Yes."

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Thanks for the Reviews! I really appreciate all of your support!


	7. Chapter 7- City Slickers (Part 1)

Quiet, slow days passed in Beach City.

No action, no real events ever made headlines; neighbors went about their daily business while people did their best to cheerfully accept the monotonous air of the humble little town. Summer days were the city's asset-its saving grace- the only thing that really brought in the tourists from miles away to escape the equally uneventful lives that they led in the countryside, leading them to the city's main attraction: an untainted sea. Other than such drifters, the town only consisted of older generations, and a few young teenagers who, despite their stereotype, caused little ruckus. But regardless of the mundane scenery, the town's residents did enjoy the leisurely pace-it allowed them to focus more on themselves, their children- they grew with more tolerance, more acceptance to the strange- since strange is the only news worthy thing that occurs here. Thus the small city's alien inhabitants that had settled themselves at the face of the cliff were regarded with, well- indifference; save a few conspiracy driven individuals- well- one at least.

So there was no real uproar when two new faces appeared in the town's streets one sunny day, despite it being more of an adventure than either of the two had hoped for.

* * *

In spite of the recent disagreement, a certain green gem had kept to herself inside the house of Beach City's alien family. While nothing new, she seemed even more determined on working, or better yet- more determined on distracting herself.

The interior of the Temple was filled with a tenseness that only surfaced when the two combatants, Lapis and Peridot, had come into one another's space; usually when Lapis ventured inside the abode to collect her small friend for another adventure. Bitter words were etched into murmurs by the blue gem, who still held an icy glare towards Peridot whenever stillness would consume the air, almost hoping that the pressure would somehow crumple her form; but the technician never returned such sentiments, practically ignoring her entire existence while she focused on what laid in front of her. Peridot would not reciprocate Lapis's behaviors- since to her they were just some silly tactics to get on her nerves. While she would like to believe that they really didn't affect her, even her patience was wearing thin whenever the water nymph would lean up against the entry way, agitating a high-pitched creak from the screen door repeatedly with a slight pressing of her back onto the weak links, curling her fingers around the netting and pulling it up, lightly.

Eyes resting on her back, the water nymph's face would be expressionless, but a low grunt would indicate her dissatisfaction with the results- the green gem would not budge. Lapis knew that the noise was irritating, but that was what she wanted-to irritate the alien for her offensive remarks; to make known to Peridot that while she did apologize, she didn't do so for the reason that the blue gem had wanted. Peace was by far the least of her concerns-she was living in a peaceful place. Why must she get along with her begrudging captor for the sake of tranquility? Especially when she was insulted about something close to her heart. However, in the face of all her anger at Peridot's attitude toward her home, Lapis could never bring herself to enunciate her feelings openly. Maybe it was the gem's uncaring exterior, but it was also her unwillingness to fight that caused her such chagrin; she did not enjoy battling or the idea of it, but something in her core wanted the arrogant mechanic to snap and give her a reason to vent all of her frustrations in a single, well aimed blow that would finally wipe the contempt from her face, replacing it with uncertainty. She wanted to demolish that pompousness in her stance, erase that smug look that wormed its way into the the blue gem's mind, setting her nerves aflame as it snagged on her anger-revitalizing her wrath. Nevertheless, she was met with the view of the green gem's back, the tension remained-unlit by no spark.

Peridot was being tested, and she knew that; Lapis was acting like an spoiled child, bent on revenge if not given what she wanted. It was something of a mystery to her, but she figured eventually that the water gem was still vexed about what she had said that one evening. Infuriating really, how could she hold such a grudge for such a reason? She had never expected her to be so puerile, going so far as to purposefully annoy her into-what? Submission? There was no point in it either. No matter how much Lapis galled her, she would not apologize for a second time; the water nymph could engender every kind of ploy or antic possible, but the technician would not play her games. Didn't she have something better to do than annoy her? What was the goal?

She didn't understand, and she didn't want to try. Angry or not Peridot had to stuff her exasperation back down her throat before she said something incriminating, or worse...defeating. Even though her neck tingled with an unpleasant feeling as her tongue pressed between her teeth from the sound, there was nothing she could do but muffle her displeasure. If she revealed her discomfort- the water gem would only intensify her gaze, as well as the noise. Despite the nuisance, the gem did keep the other, more exuberant boy distracted-so she often had the house to herself. At least in the eyes of the green gem, she took the lesser of two evils-dealing with the quartz gem would require a different set of challenges. Handling Steven would be way worse then handling Lapis, since at least Lapis would disappear afterwards; this made the repairs go faster. As far as she was concerned, Lapis was going to act as childish as possible; if Peridot was to be distracted by every little thing, she would never get her work done.

But to Peridot's misfortune, the cycle of quiet tension had transformed into something much worse than she had expected.

After a week had gone by, the pod was almost completely mended; needing only one more part before it would be restored to previous function. Feeling pride surge through her, Peridot stood back to examine the complex machine, scanning each and every part of the smooth metal with doting affection. The image of the green gem transpired and reflected from the metal, a Cheshire grin painting the surface as her floating hand reached back to pick up the last piece. The digits searched the floor for the circuit, sweeping from left to right; with nothing grasped, she turned her head to look back, only to find nothing there but an empty floor. Frantically, she turned her whole body around while sending her digits out to part the clutter around the coffee table and couch, but her desperate scans of the living quarters produced nothing. That piece is what will turn on the pod- without it, the foreign anomaly would remain grounded, and for the most part useless. She held still for a moment, and calmed herself, furrowing her brow as she pondered her predicament.

Pearl might have a couple of spare parts, but what were the chances that any of them would be compatible? Besides, the gem was not currently here; no one was home except for the technician. _" They could be gone for a few days...I can't just stand around here and wait...I need that circuit to continue..."_ Ceasing her search, she brushed the dirt form her thighs and crossed her arms in contemplative manner. The reasoning seemed valid- the more time she wasted, the longer she would stay on this hopeless planet.

However, there was yet another dilemma.

There was only one place that she knew of that might possibly have a replacement- the Beach City Music Store.

The circumstances did not please her, as it meant that she had to leave the safety of the house, and see more of the varmint that infested earth-humans. But, considering her situation, the green gem had no other options. It was the only place in town that sold anything that Peridot could use for the circuit, albeit she would have to get creative to figure out how to make a stand-in piece, but it was better to have something rather than nothing. Though humans were not a species that she wished to deal with, her whole being has gone into this endeavor- she must finish it at all costs; even if she has to cooperate with such lowly creatures as them. _" All for a better cause, I suppose."_ Now of all times was the best to go, since it was the late afternoon and everyone was closing up for the evening.

Looking towards the screen door, there were four hours of daylight left from what she recollected about earth's planetary movements, affirming it with a hurried gaze towards the digital clock that sat atop Steven's nightstand. If she wanted to go, she had to go now.

Cautiously, she set a foot outside and peered at the cliff side that shortened the further it went, and scaled the stairs with less zeal than when she started. Step by step, she made it across the sand until she met the edge of the cliff face, only just happening to glance over at the blue form that sat before the waves. Startled by her appearance, Peridot had force her composure back as faintly remembered that she had company here. Her gut wrenched with alarm, gathering that the inane gem had not seen her yet, but concentrated on the rhythmic sway of the waves; for all she knew, the waves were mimicking her scenic state. Peridot took in the view of her for a little longer than she should have, overtaken by a strange sensation to study the water nymph further, allowing her body to ease from her initial trepidation.

Lapis did not seem to give off any feeling of scorn or disdain that usually rested on her blue face, nor did her form hold its rigid posture as it normally would. Her shoulders and back curled forward, arms wrapped around her legs as if to protect them from the swell of water at her feet; always reaching up, but never quite touching her. Eyes resting on the water, she wore a serene expression that quelled Peridot's inner voices and left a quiet that she wasn't used too, but somehow appreciated. Sitting on the sand, Lapis did not look like the immature, fierce gem that she had come to know-but instead instilled a calm that Peridot sensed whenever she listened to the steady clicks of the engines on her space ship, of the consistent tinks of the computers and clinks of gears as they banged against one another. To anyone else, the noise would be deafening, but it wasn't the sounds that Peridot found herself drawn too- it was the uniform rhythm, the regularity of the pace that made everything around it seem predictable, comforting; just as how the waves were following the same, unchanging pattern. Waves worked like machines- their movements to similar to distinguish one from the other.

And surprisingly, Lapis fell into this limpid cycle of melody; unwittingly the green gem felt her own body relax, a half smile forming as her heart proclaimed quietly, _" She is..."_

But with the assertion that her heart was about to make, it sent the technician back out from her reverie and into reality. Her frown returned, and position straightened as she recollected herself. There was no time to waste, especially on something so...

It would be best to tell the blue gem of her excursion, since she was still under surveillance. If the Crystal Gems return to find her missing, it might cause a more difficult plight later. Lapis could at least exclaim that she had simply went on a trip and would return later. Cautiously, she approached the gem with purpose, stopping a few feet away from her, noticing her hesitation return. She had almost forgotten the unpredictability of the gem.

At her advance, Lapis stiffened and her derision echoed in the turmoil of the surf.

" Lazuli. Im going to go into the urban municipality to search for a circuit. I shall return before sundown. " Peridot announced daringly.

Given no response, the green alien started to tread towards the city, but was stopped when the blue gem asserted," I'm coming too."

" What?! Since when?" A shrill voice replied with astonishment. Lapis had already stood up and began to walk ahead of Peridot, seeming to have no apathetic reaction to her statements. " We still don't trust you. So Im going to." She replied with affirmation, and would not be deterred by the green gem's cries of anguish.

Her light steps glided on the sand, contradictory to the clumsy sinking step of her companion, who snarled at the increasing distance. " Lazuli! Lazuli you are accelerating too quickly-LAZULI!" In response, Lapis quickened her stride to just about a run, regarding Peridot with a curious look; once she realized that she had decided on chasing her, the water gem uncovered a mischievous grin that overtook her entire face, filling her up with raw ebullience that made her more determined to win in this unsought race. With the gem ignoring her bouts of anger, the technician resorted to an awkward, side-step run that aimed to bypass the middle ground in between her legs as she attempted to reach the blue gem. Of all the things that irked her, she would never have expected to be so accepting of the water nymph's antics, but it might have been her preoccupation with the light sand below her- there had been enough wet granules in her mismatched foot to significantly slow her pace. Peridot did not pause, and Lapis did not reduce her speed as they both crossed the cliff-side to the entrance of the city, which had been all but deserted when both the gems had reached it. The two hadn't run very much, but were both breathing heavily by the time of their arrival- Peridot more so than Lapis.

" You-tch-should have-waited-" An stifled pant escaped the visor-ed gem, none to happy with the setting sun or her former informant. A blue hand grasped at the mechanic's wrist, clearly much to small to wrap its fingers completely around the broad dark metal of Peridot's hands,and hastily pulled her forward without much consideration for her recovery- almost causing the gem to lose her balance. Insistently, Lapis tugged at her, a small bit of impishness remained in her expression- which had returned to a more impassive glance as she faced the technician. When their eyes met however, Peridot was left with more doubt than she had formerly.

The tingling in her arm where Lapis's hand had held her spread to her neck and face, a strange sensation that she had never noticed, nor felt so strongly. Frightening as it was, the other emotions that followed were even more disquieting- she couldn't understand why she felt a sudden flash of heat engulf her face, or why suddenly the gem that stood in front of her had become something that seemed to take up all of the space in her mind, rather than her previous objective. The abrupt feeling made the green gem more conscious of her heart, which thumped a little more loudly against the inner cavity than expected, and refused to rest despite the gem's orders. She could not force the emotion away, nor did it cease on its own-intensifying the longer she stared; similar to a palpitation she felt when she heard her leader's name, but entirely different. Unfamiliar, but not completely painful. Peridot could not decide why such strange things were occurring, nor the reasoning behind the water nymph's equally unnerving gaze, with her face holding a more tinted blue than she recalled ever seeing on Lapis.

Uncertain, but wishful, Peridot had hoped that somehow her visors had shielded the growing warmth in her cheeks from the water gem's eyes- and to combat the unusual reaction, she adverted her gaze to the road on her left, pulling her wrist roughly out of Lapis's hand, who seemed to have expected the action and loosened her fingers. She let the arm fall to her side, and grumbled a few words before beginning to head towards the city. Just as she had suspected, the feeling began to disperse as she walked, her prior determination making a reappearance, to find her missing part.

The blue gem however was caught in a momentary trance as she thought about coldness in her hand, studying it with a somewhat conflicted dread, as confused as her companion at the occurrence of equally strange feelings- though more bothered by why she felt them.

Unsatisfied, she turned around to look out at the disappearing form, and trotted in pursuit.

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Ahh i decided i would cut this chapter into two parts so i could fill it up with more fluff. Hope you enjoy! I shall update weekly.


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